Tiger Woods will probably never be as good as he was when he won four consecutive majors, but he is certainly signalling a return of form. Spectators watched in awe as Woods finally reclaimed his driving ability, none more so than a 3-wood shot, into a head wind, that landed close enough for a decent shot at an eagle. He caught the lip with his putt but still managed a birdie, one of seven in the second round of the Australian Open. It’s fitting that his last tournament win was in the Australian Masters, shortly before his world caved in. Is he back? Time will tell, but he’s certainly got this tournament by the scruff of the neck.

Bookmakers had offered as much as 12/1 about Woods prior to the start of this tournament. He has been backed off the map with his odds tumbling into 5/4 and a very clear favourite. Australian Jason Day is second favourite at 7/2 with Bubba Watson playing well the next best at 14/1. In Thursday’s post we suggested that Woods was ready to win again, and, judging by his first two days, we were looking good.

The big question surrounding Tiger Woods is whether or not he can play consistently. His first two days were ominous, however, day three has often been his downfall this year, and Australian Open is no different. Losing shots in the opening holes never bodes well for a good day, and if his nerve cracks again, he’ll be quickly left behind by the pack. If you held off with your bets, then Jason Day is also looking to be in good form. While not spectacular, he is consistent, and it’s consistency that generally wins these events. We’re not writing Tiger Woods off. He is hitting the ball well and is quite capable of winning this.

Hopefully you didn’t back John Daly – if you did, we hope you backed him to walk off again – which he’s done – again. This guy has walked off more golf courses halfway through a round than I’ve walked onto a golf course. He’s now been banned for the Australian PGA Championships. Of course, there was a tiny bit of justification in walking – he’d hit seven balls into the lake, and, according to his Tweets, had ‘run out of balls’ – I’m assuming that’s golf balls, but then, that’s John Daly for you, the big American always livens an event.